FIRST IN PI … RHOAD TO THE NRA: PI has learned that Erica Rhoad has joined the National Rifle Association as a federal liaison. She previously served as a staffer on the House Appropriations Committee.

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SCOOPLET ... SPANGLER, DUNN UPPED AT MONUMENT POLICY GROUP: Monument Policy Group has promoted Ryan Spangler to vice president and Megan Dunn to senior manager at the firm effective immediately, the firm announced Tuesday. Spangler has been with Monument since June 2007. His previous position was senior director. Dunn has been with Monument since 2012 and was previously a legislative manager.

MOTOROLA HIRES MERCURY ON EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION: The telecommunications communication signed the help of Mercury Strategies to work on legislation associated with emergency communications products. PI colleague Tony Romm has reported on Motorola’s extensive lobbying against FirstNet, a $7 billion government project that would modernize emergency communications in the wake of disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Sept. 11. Much is at stake for the company with the project, as a sizable chunk of its first quarter 2013 revenue came from the government sector. James Green and Andrew Fields will work on the issue for Mercury, joining a list of 17 lobbying firms working for Motorola in 2013, including BGR Group, Blank Rome and Chesapeake. More here from Romm: http://politi.co/17evcMy

GOOD TUESDAY AFTERNOON, where it's been 57 years since President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a joint resolution of Congress into law that made "In God We Trust" as the national motto. The Senate reaffirmed the motto in a 2006 resolution. The phrase is drawn from the obscure fourth verse of the Star-Spangled Banner. Send your lobbying news, gossip, tips, and scoops to btau@politico.com and apalmer@politico.com. And follow us on Twitter at @ ByronTau and @ apalmerdc.

AMEX INKS MORE K STREET HELP:American Express' Travel Related Services Company is bringing on Valerie Morse White Consulting to lobby on banking issues including credit card interchange fees. Morse has received $50,000 from the company in the second quarter for work on issues related to data collection, mobile payment methods and interchange fees. Also working for American Express on credit card issues is Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.

FOWLER JOINS PHYSICIANS ASSISTANTS ASSOCIATION: Tillie Fowler has joined the American Academy of Physician Assistants as the senior vice president of advocacy and government relations, the group announced Monday. Previously, Fowler served as director of legislative affairs and director of strategy for Boeing. Prior to that, she served as chief of staff for Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.). “Tillie’s success as a leader in such diverse roles is a reflection of her collaborative leadership style, and her ability to build trusted relationships with internal and external customers and stakeholders,” said J ennifer Dorn, AAPA CEO.

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CONCORD 51 HOSTS PICKENS: Concord 51, a group of young Republican professionals, is hosting an event with energy magnate T. Boone Pickens and several unnamed members of Congress. Pickens and C 51 founder Matthew Swift will mingle with Republicans under 35 on Wednesday in Washington D.C. A $1,500 donation to the group's PAC grants access to a VIP reception — otherwise, it's a minimum $16 donation at the door.

MORE THAN 400 GROUPS SIGN PRO-IMMIGRATION LETTER: A broad coalition of 428 organizations has signed a letter to every member of the House, asking them to pass comprehensive immigration reform. "We are united in the belief that we can and must do better for our economy and country by modernizing our immigration system," the groups write. Signatories include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, TechAmerica, BSA | The Software Alliance, FWD.us, General Electric, and many, many others. See the letter here: http://uscham.com/16h5ERH

MCKENNA IN AS NAJI PRESIDENT: Via POLITICO’s Morning Tech: Former Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna will serve as the next president of the National Alliance for Jobs and Innovation, MT hears. The group, fighting intellectual property theft and economic espionage and more than 200 strong, already has the National Association of Manufacturers’Brian Raymond and steel exec Drew Greenblatt atop its leadership group. McKenna just finished an eight-year stint as Washington’s attorney general, and is former president of the National Association of Attorneys General, where he co-launched an IP task force.

FREE CUPCAKES FROM FORD: To celebrate Henry Ford's 150th birthday, the Ford Motor Company has partnered with Curbside Cupcakes to give away complimentary treats from noon to 2 p.m. near Metro Center (12th and G Street NW) and near the Capitol at 1st and D streets SE.

LIGHTER CLICK: THE POPE DISAPPROVES OF K STREET: Pope Francis — responding to a question about gay rights — expressed some tolerance for homosexuality, then proceeded to bash lobbyists of all kinds. "The problem is lobbying by this orientation, or lobbies of greedy people, political lobbies, Masonic lobbies, so many lobbies. This is the worse problem," he said during a press conference on his flight back to South America. More here: http://nbcnews.to/13vl4N5

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr: United States Telecom Association

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Authors:

About The Author

Anna Palmer is a senior Washington correspondent for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics.

Anna covers the world of Congress and politics, and has successfully chronicled the business of Washington insiders for years. Her stories take readers behind the scenes for the biggest fights in Washington as well as the 2016 election.

Prior to becoming POLITICO’s senior Washington correspondent, Anna was the co-author of the daily newsletter, POLITICO Influence, considered a must-read on K Street.

Anna previously covered House leadership and lobbying as a staff writer for Roll Call. She got her start in Washington journalism as a lobbying business reporter for the industry newsletter Influence. She has also worked at Legal Times, where she covered the intersection of money and politics for the legal and lobbying industry, first as a staff writer and then as an editor.

A native of North Dakota, Anna is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where she was executive editor of the weekly campus newspaper, the Manitou Messenger. She lives in Washington, D.C.